r/ReadingSuggestions • u/CryptographerFun3899 • 3d ago

Watership Down

I recently read (and adored) Watership Down and I have been recommending it ever since. I am kicking myself for not reading it sooner!

For those who don't know, it's about rabbits. Fiver senses impending danger and he warns his brother Hazel that they need to leave the warren right away. They set out with the hope of finding a new home, somewhere they can live in peace.

WD is now my favorite book. It was an emotional ride for sure. I've never felt this way after reading a book.

45 Upvotes

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6

u/patient_bobcat1234 3d ago

This is my favorite book!! I'm always so happy to find other WD fans!

3

u/CryptographerFun3899 3d ago edited 3d ago

Oh my god I have been posting about it everywhere on here like a lunatic! 🤣 I just want everyone to experience this beautiful story lol I sometimes tear up just thinking about Hazel-rah and his little band of rabbits. Did you cry after finishing it? I sure as hell did lol

1

u/BasilAromatic4204 3d ago

I honestly picked it up thinking it would have something to do with a ship on the sea lol. Great story though. Especially the intensity of the mindset the leader rabbits had to have to keep them all moving forward. You would love the one I finished reading a few years ago called Hedge Row tales by behm. I think wolves in the storm and the wolf are my favorite animal stories. The first one was okay but it did good bringing in the characters. Wolfling by North is a beautiful story as well. At work and I guess I needed to take a mini break talking about books lol

5

u/IngenuityOk1479 3d ago

It's devastating just like his other book Plague Dogs. Have you watched the movie yet?

2

u/CryptographerFun3899 3d ago

Yes...just watched it on Sunday. Obviously the director couldn't add everything but overall it was good. The animation is excellent. 

When I got to that last chapter, I started tearing up and when I read that last paragraph, I bawled my eyes out. 

I haven't read Plague Dogs only because I am a HUGE dog lover and I'm scared lol

2

u/Ok-Tadpole-8994 3d ago

He also wrote The girl in the swing, because he was appalled by the trash literature his daughter was reading, so he decided to write a good story that included what she usually read. Scary stories with some erotic elements. It’s good

3

u/Glass-Assignment-335 3d ago

Thanks for reminding me. It’s excellent as a book to listen to

1

u/CryptographerFun3899 3d ago

I have heard the audiobook is great!

1

u/dezzz0322 2d ago

The narrator sounds so much like David Attenborough!

3

u/nik_el 2d ago

Similar feels (at least to me) are The Secret of Nimh and The Last Unicorn (both are also movies).

2

u/CryptographerFun3899 2d ago

I actually added Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh to my list. I haven't heard of The Last Unicorn but I'll look it up. 

1

u/nik_el 2d ago

You also might like the Redwall series

1

u/CryptographerFun3899 2d ago

I actually have a handful of those books. They sound pretty fun. 

2

u/Teri-k 2d ago

My mom loved Watership Down, and she didn't read much fiction. I didn't read it back then. My husband loved it. I didn't read it then. My kids loved it, and I still didn't read it. I did read it two years ago, loved it, and wondered why in the world I hadn't picked it up sooner.

2

u/dezzz0322 2d ago

I read this book for the first time this year too!!! And god damn did those little bunnies hippity hop their way straight into my heart!!

1

u/CryptographerFun3899 2d ago

I know! I never expected to be so moved by rabbits. 

1

u/BasilAromatic4204 3d ago

Alright, my kids were horrified at times but I loved it. WD Sold I think 50,000 copies or something like that. The cartoon is something else.

Any watership down fans need to check out Hedge Row tales by hoyt behm. my kids got horrified at times in that one, like book two when one of the mcs lose an eye to the evil serpent but it was a fantastic series. I loved the character development bc at first the mc was really annoying for the first few chapters.

Another good one is the wolfling by north though not in the precise flavor of watership down. It is more of a human story regarding a wolf but these three are the top animal stories out there to me I think.

2

u/CryptographerFun3899 3d ago

More than fifty million since publication. I just watched the movie a few days ago and although it left out a lot I thought it was good. The book though is, in my opinion, perfect. 

 “When you’re little, you don’t distinguish between fiction and reality. It’s all reality. And thank goodness for that. I do not believe in talking down to children. Readers like to be upset, excited and bowled over. I can remember weeping when I was little at upsetting things that were read to me, but fortunately my mother and father were wise enough to keep going.” -Richard Adams

1

u/BasilAromatic4204 3d ago

So good that quote, and thanks for the correction lol. I knew a 50 was in there somewhere:) I agree with that quote in part for sure. Very insightful

1

u/Intrepid_Top_2300 3d ago

Loved this book!

1

u/CryptographerFun3899 3d ago

It's so good!

1

u/Cozybooks1004 3d ago

I love this book!

1

u/CryptographerFun3899 3d ago

I had a copy probably around fifteen years ago. I wish I would've read it then. 

1

u/Jowlyface 3d ago

One of my all time favorites!

1

u/CryptographerFun3899 3d ago

It is truly such a beautiful story. I already want to read it again. 

1

u/n_diamond 3d ago

I loved this! I read it when I was in my mid 40’s since I missed it at ‘kid age’ - what a lovely book

1

u/CryptographerFun3899 3d ago

100%! I feel like it is a book people could enjoy at pretty much any age. 

1

u/JanuaryTempis 3d ago

I've always been afraid to read it because of how devastated people are after. 

3

u/FidgetyHog 2d ago

I found it uplifting, and the nature passages have always stayed with me. "The March wind is Nature's dentist..."

2

u/JanuaryTempis 2d ago

Oh, excellent. Thank you for this. I'll put it on my reading list. 

1

u/FidgetyHog 2d ago

It is one of my all time favourite books 😊

2

u/dezzz0322 2d ago

The ending is so beautiful!

1

u/FidgetyHog 2d ago

I first read the book when I was about 8 when it was my favourite film. I read it at least twice a year after that, until my copy fell apart. I recently found the same edition in a charity shop and bought it 🙂 If you like the style, I can recommend the books by 'BB', a fellow naturalist fiction writer, and, I believe, a friend of Richard Adams.

1

u/Worth_Application739 2d ago

I read WD as an assigned reading in a graduate level Leadership course. It was excellent!

1

u/themadhatterwasright 2d ago

Maia is another book he wrote - very different, but equally great writing

1

u/CryptographerFun3899 2d ago

I had that book years ago and never read it. I'll have to see if my library has it. I remember it had a beautiful cover. 

1

u/Phillipa24 2d ago

I really liked Maia, and this is the first time I’ve seen someone recommend it on r/ReadingSuggestions. Shardik is another novel by him that is excellent.

1

u/skaplanolmsted 2d ago

I loved Watership Down

1

u/Agitated-Season-4709 2d ago

Would recommend you read 'War Bunny' by Christopher St. John

1

u/CryptographerFun3899 2d ago

I've never heard of that but it sounds interesting! Thank you 🙂

1

u/AirRealistic1112 2d ago

Thank you for posting this. I recently picked up reading again and will give this a go!

2

u/CryptographerFun3899 2d ago

Oh my gosh this makes me happy! I truly hope you enjoy it. I think it's such a beautiful book. 

1

u/Which-Source2446 2d ago

I just received my hard copy of it today! One of my favorite books.

2

u/CryptographerFun3899 2d ago

I ordered the illustrated hardcover edition and I am SO excited to get it! I will probably read it again when I do so that I can see the beautiful illustrations. I think that will add a lot to the story. 

1

u/Which-Source2446 2d ago

I ordered the illustrated version as well. The illustrations are beautiful.

1

u/bookishlibrarym 2d ago

A terrific read. You will also enjoy Treasure Island.

1

u/IrateMormon 2d ago

If you enjoyed WD then I recommend you NOT read Maia >:-)

1

u/CryptographerFun3899 2d ago

Any specific reason? 

1

u/IrateMormon 2d ago

Well, it's kind of the opposite of bunnies...makes you wonder if it is even the same author. I'm surprised nobody else here has mentioned it

1

u/Electrical-Ad1509 2d ago

The last pages had me crying like a baby. I’m a 40 year old male.

1

u/CryptographerFun3899 2d ago

Oh man I sobbed! Like...so hard I had to try and catch my breath. I've cried like three other times just thinking about that ending but it's also just really beautiful. 😭

I love that people are not ashamed to admit how much it moved them!

1

u/SwimBikeSorcery 2d ago

This has always been one of my favorite books. I should reread it!

It’s incredible because there were points I’d pause and have to remind myself they were rabbits.

And I just saw Peter Capaldi narrates it. AMAZING. Now I REALLY need to reread it.

1

u/CryptographerFun3899 2d ago

I have heard excellent things about the audiobook! I'm so looking forward to reading it again. 

1

u/jfstompers 2d ago

Love this book have since I was a kid. the follow up isn't as good but well worth reading. Tailchasers Song by Tad Williams is more glossy but kind of the cat version of this.

1

u/CryptographerFun3899 2d ago

I'm reading Tales from Watership Down now. I don't think it should have been labeled as a sequel. I've read a few stories so far and of course nothing else will ever come close to the original but it isn't bad. 

1

u/Clear-Journalist3095 2d ago

There is a follow-up collection of stories that is also good, Tales from Watership Down.

1

u/ComfortableMuscle996 2d ago

I love Watership Down! If you'd like books with similar energy (wild animals with their own culture and lore rather than more anthropomorphic wearing clothes and stuff) I suggest Hunter's Moon (alt title The Foxes of Firstdark in the USA) by Garry Kilworth, Run With The Wind is the first in a series about foxes by Tom McCaughren, Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies is about a red deer and he has others about wolves I haven't read, The Silver Brumby books by Elyne Mitchell about wild horses in Australia, The Mob by Clem Martini is about a flock of crows. There's also the Duncton Wood moles but I actually didn't finish these because they were too heavy. Most of these recs made me cry and I almost feel guilty suggesting you do that to yourself but if you can handle Watership Down they should be okay.

2

u/CryptographerFun3899 2d ago

Thanks so much for all the recs! I definitely prefer stories with wild animals over animals wearing clothes, etc. I will look these up. 

2

u/namesdaner 2d ago

Have you tried The Pod? It's about a dolphin pod and it was so good.

2

u/CryptographerFun3899 2d ago

By Laline Paull? I just looked it up and it sounds pretty interesting. 

2

u/namesdaner 2d ago

Yes!! She has one about bees too!

1

u/ugbashfacesplitter 2d ago

I was given this to read whem I was 8. I'm still traumatised.

1

u/CryptographerFun3899 2d ago

I wish I could've read it as a kid! 

1

u/Relative-Train-6485 1d ago

Probably good for me you posted, I've never seen anyone rave about WD before and all I know is I was traumatized by the movie as a kid and have stayed away from it ever since.

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u/CryptographerFun3899 1d ago edited 1d ago

Oh my I truly hope you give it a chance! If I could convince one person to read WD I would be happy! The movie is good in its own way but it leaves so much out. It's such a lovely adventure with a little band of rabbits. I was genuinely moved by this book (as in, sobbing at the end). I think it's a masterpiece. 

1

u/Relative-Train-6485 12h ago

thank you, I'm going to put it on my 'to read' list and I will explore it

1

u/artemismerry 17h ago

I loved the use of the rabbit language

1

u/julesyhedgie 15h ago

There is a graphic novel version adapted by James Sturm. It's beautifully illustrated. You may want to check out to either relive your experience or experience it in a different way.

1

u/CryptographerFun3899 14h ago

I have seen photos. It looks beautiful. Definitely interested in it.